World

Junta-led Sahel States Ready to Deploy Joint Force of 5,000 Troops, Says Minister

New unified military force aims to tackle growing security threats in the Sahel region.

Story Highlights
  • A joint force of 5,000 troops from the military-led governments of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali is set to deploy in the central Sahel region
  • This decision followed their severing of military and diplomatic ties with regional allies such as France and other Western powers.
  • The security situation in the region has deteriorated

A joint force of 5,000 troops from the military-led governments of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali is set to deploy in the central Sahel region, according to Niger’s defence chief.

The three countries, which have experienced a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, formed an alliance last year to address security threats in the region.

This decision followed their severing of military and diplomatic ties with regional allies such as France and other Western powers.

Niger’s Defence Minister Salifou Mody confirmed that the newly-formed force, operating under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), will be equipped with its own air assets, equipment, and intelligence resources.

The unified AES force is nearly complete, with a target of 5,000 personnel, Mody stated on Tuesday. He added that the deployment would occur within weeks, noting that some joint operations have already been carried out.

The security situation in the region has deteriorated, exacerbated by a decade-long conflict with Islamist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

As of December, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA reported that approximately 2.6 million people have been displaced in the region.

The creation of the AES follows the countries’ decision to withdraw from ECOWAS, West Africa’s main political and economic group, which is urging them to reconsider the move, as it undermines regional integration achieved over the past decades.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button